When I created this blog site, my goal was to tell stories about
ordinary followers of Jesus whose lives don’t always get noticed beyond a
pretty small circle of family and friends. While I invited others to send me
their own stories of ordinary saints,
the site has been mostly ordinary saints I knew.
But today I will tell an ordinary
saint story of someone I didn’t know personally, but know people who knew
him. I do know his wife from many years ago and she has provided most of what I
plan to share.
Here’s where I think the story needs to start. These words were
written by Julia Fowler, a good friend of my sister-in-law Patti Kindt Hindman.
“Yes, I have read some of Wye’s blogs, most recently the one
about Wendell Baggett and Mike Portwood. . . . I would never have thought of my
situation as “bloggable,” especially not in the category of “ordinary saints;”
maybe just “ordinary” 😉
However, the last 2 Sundays we have had a guest pastor preaching; he did
a 2 part sermon. He preached on Romans 6:1-14 on how to move from defeat to
victory; how we should not give up on areas of defeat in our lives and we have
to believe who we are in Christ. Essentially, our belief determines our
behavior. Sure, we are sinners, but we were bought with a price which makes us
saints. He said that in scripture we are referred to as “saints” over “sinners”
10:1. I want to live a victorious life and not a defeated life. I am fine with
Wye using my story if he would like to (he doesn’t even have to change my
name).”
I don’t want to change Julia’s name because her comments above get
at something that is so important for us to realize. The truth is that most of
us probably discount what God has done in our lives and are uncomfortable
thinking of ourselves as “ordinary saints.” But . . . in Christ.
In Christ, everything changes and that is really extraordinary – but the reason I use ordinary is because of how our culture
thinks about who possibly could be a saint. The Bible I’ve been reading all my
life reminds me regularly just how much God apparently loves using us ordinary
folks.
Julia has an amazing story to tell. I knew the basics of the story
from Patti but didn’t really grasp its stunning nature until I read what she
sent to me. Here it is, in Julia’s words:
“On May 31 Dan Fowler was cycling on a two-lane highway and
was struck an
d killed by a 19 year old man driving a pick-up truck. The man was
not under the influence and was not on a cell phone. Julia Fowler was informed
of Dan’s death and one of her immediate reactions was to ask if she could
contact someone to ask that the young man’s life not be ruined with charges.
She was later contacted by the D.A. who told her he would have to bring
chargers. Julia learned that the young man and his family go to her church. It’s
a very large church and she knew of the family but didn’t know them. Julia
asked their pastor if he could arrange a meeting of the two families so she
could tell the young man that she forgave him. The meeting occurred exactly one
week after Dan’s death and she was able to tell the young man, face-to-face,
that she forgave him.”
Patti tells me that Julia’s desire for mercy for the 19 year
old driver was present from the very beginning. That not only speaks to the
kind of faith Julia and Dan shared, but is a prophetic word to a culture that
seems determined to punish people no matter what. I can only wish more
Christians would get on this same page.
Patti mentioned, as she shared this story, how much freedom she
must have given the driver by forgiving him. Even if he eventually serves time –
and that’s not yet decided by the courts – “at least he will always know that
the wife of the man he killed forgives him.” It is impossible to measure the
power of that testimony to the world about the transforming power of the
gospel.
As you read above, Julia said that she wants “to live a victorious
life and not a defeated life.” Looks to me like she is doing just that.
Dan and Julia were just an ordinary married couple, living out
life and engaged in the church. All but unspeakable tragedy invaded that
ordinary life without notice. Julia’s response is anything but ordinary in once
sense of the word, but in another – the very natural, ordinary way a saint
responds.
We need to hear more stories like this!
